Additionally, Xu Mengshan had also received information that the old detective who had encountered the young man inquiring about information in the tavern had produced a sketch, and it turned out to be Mingtao.
The evidence was irrefutable, and the crime was unforgivable. Though he was already dead, it did little to ease the anger and pain of the two victims' families. But that is a story for later.
The bureau solved the case at an unprecedented speed—within just a few days, they had identified the true culprit and prevented new victims from emerging. When Ding Xiongwei reported the results over the phone that morning, he received repeated praise from Director Duan. Ding Xiongwei did not take all the credit himself; he highlighted the contributions of several individuals and specifically mentioned Yin Feng's crucial role. Director Duan was very pleased and instructed Ding Xiongwei to take good care of his stubborn junior brother. Director Duan even joked with Ding Xiongwei, saying, "He's practically your live-in son-in-law now. If you don’t look out for him, who will?"
Ding Xiongwei chuckled. After all, the case had been solved swiftly, and when it came to Yin Feng, he now found him much more agreeable—barely worthy of their "Big Sister You."
Meanwhile, after the case was fully resolved, You Mingxu took out the detailed profile of Mingtao compiled by other colleagues and began studying it carefully.
Mingtao’s parents were still alive, and his family was well-off, but they were extremely busy with work. As a result, he had been raised by his grandparents since childhood. It was said that he had been excessively spoiled from a young age, indulged by the elderly couple to the point of becoming notorious in the neighborhood as a "little emperor." Few children were willing to play with him. However, according to later records, Mingtao grew distant from his grandparents as an adult and rarely visited them. You Mingxu could easily picture Mingtao’s impatient demeanor.
Mingtao was intelligent; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been admitted to a reputable university, graduated smoothly, and secured a job as a programmer. But during his middle school and college years, the evaluations from his classmates and teachers were largely consistent:
"He was too arrogant and didn’t know how to interact with others, often causing misunderstandings and problems."
"He was always brooding alone, sometimes muttering to himself, acting strangely, as if he were busy with something mysterious."
"His words were sharp and cutting, so he offended many people without even realizing it, thinking he had everyone’s respect."
"He was beaten up back then, probably because people couldn’t stand him. He stayed quiet for days, too afraid to fight back. He didn’t dare tell the teachers, and eventually, the whole class looked down on him and mocked him."
"This person always gave off an unpredictable vibe. Once, I saw him arguing with a classmate. He just stared coldly at the other person, sneering, and said, 'I have a hundred ways to… heh…' It was creepy, so it stuck with me till now. But by the time we graduated, he hadn’t done anything to that person. I think he was actually quite afraid of being bullied himself."
…
A middle school teacher commented, "At his core, Mingtao was actually a good kid—smart but overly sensitive. He wanted to build good relationships with his classmates, but he was just too stubborn. I don’t think his parents were responsible. I never saw his business-oriented parents come to school to visit him or pick him up. It was always his grandfather who attended parent-teacher meetings, and the grandfather couldn’t even read. He was too afraid to upset Mingtao—how could he possibly teach the child properly?"
…According to the resume records, after graduating and experiencing the case in Tibet, Mingtao entered a low-income, nine-to-five software company like any ordinary graduate. However, after stepping into society, he became even more taciturn, with mediocre work performance and no close colleagues or friends. His coworkers shared similar impressions of him, noting his volatile emotions—unpredictable mood swings or sudden excitement for no apparent reason. He had a strong interest in crime-related books and novels, often spending his free time after work immersed in reading, living entirely in his own world. What he pursued seemed different from others, or perhaps no one truly knew what he was chasing.
Mingtao was now dead. His brief life appeared tumultuous, with even his murders causing a province-wide sensation, yet it felt as fleeting as a goose passing without a trace, leaving no deep mark in anyone’s heart.
Whether he was connected to the Punisher Organization, whether he had been "cultivated" by them, or whether he died as a result of their hunting, remained unanswered for now.
Next, attention turned to the mysterious man who had shared the sealed room with Mingtao.
After handling the casework, You Mingxu estimated that the interrogation was nearly over and headed to the interrogation room.
Just outside the door, she saw Xu Mengshan and another colleague whispering.
"How’s the questioning going?" You Mingxu asked.
The two looked at her with odd expressions. Then Xu Mengshan gave her a meaningful glance, so You Mingxu turned and entered an empty conference room. Shortly after, Xu Mengshan joined her.
You Mingxu cut straight to the point: "What’s wrong?" Judging by their demeanor, had they gotten nothing out of the interrogation? Was the man that difficult? He didn’t seem like it.
Xu Mengshan’s expression was as if he’d been punched. He said, "He talked. At first, he was trembling and wouldn’t say anything. After they calmed him down and used some tricks, he spoke up. He said his name is Li Mingdi, 30 years old, and he was kidnapped and imprisoned five years ago."
You Mingxu asked, "Did he say who kidnapped him?"
Xu Mengshan paused, as if finding it absurd himself, and replied in a tone of disbelief, "He said the kidnapper was Yin Feng! That’s why he was so terrified when he saw him earlier."
You Mingxu stared at him in astonishment: "How is that possible!"
Xu Mengshan’s eyebrows were nearly knitted together. He blurted out, "Yeah, we all think it’s nonsense! He also claimed that Teacher Yin kidnapped him, locked him up, frequently tortured him, forced him to write novels as a ghostwriter. He said all of Teacher Yin’s works over the past five years were written by him, and Teacher Yin’s identity as an author is just a front..."
You Mingxu laughed in anger and cursed, "I’ve seen people make wild accusations, but never this outrageous. So brainless! Does he think we’re all fools?"
"Exactly!"
But You Mingxu remained clear-headed, staring at Xu Mengshan: "What else? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have had that expression earlier."
Xu Mengshan continued, "This is strange—when we entered the room today, we were wearing gloves. The forensics team just reported that besides Li Mingdi’s fingerprints and DNA, they found traces of two other people at the scene. And in multiple locations."
You Mingxu’s heart sank: "Whose?"Xu Mengshan looked directly at her, his eyes also filled with deep confusion: "One is Yin Feng. And the other, we've already matched the results." He paused and said, "You've met her too. It's a woman named Su Ziyi, who went to Tibet with Chen Feng to pick up Yin Feng back then. Later, when Yin Feng went home with you, he distanced himself from her. It's said that Su Ziyi is his ex-girlfriend."
You Mingxu was stunned.
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